but that the company had also made campaign contributions to politicians who could be in- fluential in getting such mandates passed. Fur- thermore, some legislators were clearly support- ing a mandate so that the federal government, which helps pay for mandatory childhood vac- cines, would pick up at least part of the tab for state vaccination programs.
Other significant developments include an increased effort on the part of legislatures to grapple with how to solve the organ shortage and the ethics of stem-cell research. It is inter- esting to note how different the approaches can be from state to state.
THE RIGHTS OF MATURING INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR PARENTS
PRE-BIRTH (ABORTION, FETUSES, EMBRYOS, AND STEM CELLS)
Abortion is clearly on the minds of U.S. law- makers and courts. There has been a staggering surge in abortion-related legislation introduced in this legislative session, and at this writing the U.S. Supreme Court has just handed down its ruling in Gonzales v. Carhart.
Most of the legislative measures listed be low are considered "anti-abortion" measures, but please note that there were almost as many typically called "pro-choice" measures introduced. Many pro-choice measures aren't listed because they involve funding educational programs and access to medical services for poor women. Such measures are certainly of interest, but, because of sheer volume, this report focuses only on bills that either curtail or increase rights independent of financial ability to pay.
It is worth paying careful attention to the terms used in each of the bills. For example, bills defining personhood at fertilization could, in addition to affecting abortion rights, potentially also lead to the prohibition of certain contraceptives and/or infertility treatments. And bills banning cloning could, in addition to banning cloning for purposes of human reproduction, also ban embryonic stem-cell research involving somatic cell nuclear transfer.
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Legal Trends in Bioethics Summer 2007
Non-FictionGENERAL INTRODUCTION The laws governing bioethics issues are confusing and sometimes contradictory because of several types of tensions inherent in our legal system. Legislatures and courts work in different time frames and with different priorities...
